1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic vending machine for drinks, and more particularly, to a cup-beverage automatic vending machine which can supply beverages in a sanitary manner by additionally installing an apparatus for generating functional water such as ozone water or electrolyzed water in a high concentration to a conventional automatic vending machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an automatic vending machine for drinks, in particular, a cup-beverage automatic vending machine is configured such that when a user puts a coin into a coin slot and selects one kind of a beverage, water stored in a water tank is heated or cooled, if necessary, and then mixed with beverage ingredients, and the mixed beverage is poured into a cup, after then the user takes out the cup filled with the beverage. The greatest concern in such an automatic vending machine is sanitation. In particular, the water stored in the water tank is easily contaminated, resulting in serious deterioration. Also, the water leaking out when poured into a cup must be often withdrawn. To solve the sanitation problem of the automatic vending machine of a cup-beverage type, there have been conventionally proposed an automatic vending machine configured to sterilize or purify water by installing a sterilizer using a filter, a UV lamp or an ozone generator.
For example, Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 1999-18983 describes an automatic vending machine adopting a method of sterilizing drinking. water supplied from a water tank using a UV lamp, which is shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 1, a water supply device for supplying water and a beverage ingredient supply device for storing and supplying beverage ingredients are installed in a casing. In detail, the water supply device includes a water supply tank 51 for storing a drinking water, a hot water tank 53 for heating the water supplied from the water supply tank 51, and a guide duct 56 for guiding the water supplied from the water supply tank 51 to the hot water tank 53. The ingredient supply device includes a plurality of ingredient storage tanks 55 in front of the hot water tank 53, and a mixing tub 54 and an outlet duct 57 under the storage tanks 55. The ingredients supplied from the storage tanks 55 and the hot water supplied from the hot water tank 53 are mixed in the mixing tub 54 and then the mixed beverage is discharged outside via the outlet duct 57 by a supply cock 58. Here, a UV lamp 52, which is a sterilizer, installed at a predetermined area of the guide duct 56, is provided to sterilize the water passing through the guide duct 56.
However, in the automatic vending machine using a UV lamp, a sufficient sterilizing efficiency cannot be attained. Also, such contamination as developed after radiating by the UV lamp is unavoidable.
Korean Utility Model Laid-open Publication No. 1993-26298 discloses an automatic vending machine having an ozone generator. FIGS. 2a and 2b show a conventional automatic vending machine adopting a method in which the water in a water tank is sterilized with ozone generated in the air by means of an ozone generator. Referring to FIG. 2b , a distribution plate 64 is installed in the lower portion of a water supply tank 61 which is connected with a water supply duct 65 and a water refill duct 66, and an ozone generator 62 for generating ozone in the air is connected to a supply conduit 63 in one side of the distribution plate 64. The ozone gas generated in the air by the ozone generator 62 is supplied to the distribution plate 64 to sterilize the water in the water supply tank 61.
However, an ozone gas requires a considerable time to be dissolved in water, and the time is dependent upon the shape and size of the ozone gas when it is brought into contact with water. In particular, ozone gas particles with small size are advantageously dissolved in water. Thus, in the automatic vending machine based on a method in which ozone gas is generated in the air and then dissolved in water, a separate device is required for making ozone gas into fine particles. Further, the undissolved ozone gas emanated into the air would be harmful to the user. Thus, it is necessary to remove the harmful ozone gas using a separate device, which increases financial burden of equipment. Also, the user""s safety cannot be ensured due to the emanated ozone gas.
Alternatively, the water in the automatic vending machine may be sterilized using chemicals such as chlorine (Cl2) gas. In this case, however, trihalomethane (THM), which causes environmental pollution and is a carcinogen, may be produced.
In addition to the sanitation problem of the water stored in a water tank, the water leaking outside when poured into a cup after the drinking water and beverage materials are mixed, unless being often withdrawn or disposed of, may infect the machine to cause another sanitation problem.
To solve a sanitation problem encountered in the conventional automatic vending machine and to solve safety and equipment problems encountered in the conventional automatic vending machine with an ozone generator, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sanitary automatic vending machine which can simultaneously and safely perform sterilization, disinfection, deodorization and washing of water and beverages as well as containers and conduits installed inside the machine, by additionally installing a simple apparatus for generating functional water including ozone water by means of electrodes operating in water in a cup-beverage automatic vending machine.
The present invention further provides a washing method of an automatic vending machine and a water supplying method therein.
To accomplish the above object of the present invention, there is provided an automatic vending machine including a water supplier for supplying drinking water, a plurality of ingredient containers for storing beverage ingredients, a mixing tub for mixing the drinking water supplied from the water supplier and the beverage ingredients supplied from the ingredient containers, a discharge duct through which the mixed beverage is discharged, and a functional water generator for generating functional water in the water supplier by facing electrodes provided to operate in water.
Here, the automatic vending machine may further include a cold/hot water tank for cooling or heating the drinking water supplied from the water supplier, and a recycling duct for recycling a liquid leaked from the discharge duct into the water supplier. The recycling duct may include a purifying filter and another functional water generator.
In the present invention, the functional water generator may be an ozone water generator having at least one pair of facing electrodes or an electrolyzed water generator having at least one pair of facing electrodes disposed with a separating layer interposed therebetween. The facing electrodes are made of platinum (Pt), a platinum/palladium (Pt/Pd) alloy or a Pt group/Pd alloy. Alternatively, the facing electrodes may be made of a conductive metal coated with platinum (Pt), a platinum/palladium (Pt/Pd) alloy or a Pt group/Pd alloy. The conductive metal is preferably titanium (Ti). In the case of using the Pt/Pd alloy, 85.0 to 99.95 wt % of Pt and 15.0 to 0.05 wt % of Pd are preferably contained in the alloy. Also, the facing electrodes are preferably carbon electrodes having electric conductivity.
The facing electrodes may be of a plane type, a flat panel type having one or more holes, a small strip type, a fine wire type, a fish bone type, a mesh type or a cylinder type, and the distance of the facing electrodes is preferably in the range of 0.1 to 1 mm.
Also, the automatic vending machine may further include a power source for applying a voltage to the functional water generator. The power may be a direct-current (DC) voltage, a pulse voltage, a square wave pulse voltage, a sequence-controlled pulse voltage or an alternating pulse voltage.
The automatic vending machine may further include a power source for applying a voltage to the functional water generator, a sensor for sensing the concentration of the functional water supplied via the functional water generator, and a controller for receiving information of the concentration of the functional water from the sensor and controlling the voltage to be applied to the power source.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic vending machine including means for supplying drinking water, means for supplying beverage ingredients, means for mixing the supplied drinking water and the beverage ingredients, means for discharging the mixed beverage to the outside, and means for generating functional water in the drinking water by means of facing electrodes provided to operate in water.
Here, the functional water may be ozone water or electrolyzed water. The electrolyzed water may include acid water, alkali water or neutral water.
Also, the automatic vending machine may further include means for cooling or heating the supplied drinking water, and means for recycling a liquid leaked from the discharging means to recycle into the drinking water. The recycling means may include a purifying filter and another functional water generating means.
The automatic vending machine may further include means for sensing the concentration of the functional water supplied via the functional water generating means, and means for controlling the generation of the functional water in accordance with the concentration of the functional water.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a washing method of an automatic vending machine having a water supplier for supplying drinking water, a plurality of ingredient containers for storing beverage ingredients, a mixing tub for mixing the drinking water supplied from the water supplier and the beverage ingredients supplied from the ingredient containers, and a discharge duct through which the mixed beverage is discharged, wherein the method includes the steps of generating functional water in the water supplier by facing electrodes provided to operate in water, and discharging the functional water to the discharge duct through the mixing tub.
Alternatively, the present invention provides a washing method of an automatic vending machine having a water supplier for supplying drinking water, a plurality of ingredient containers for storing beverage ingredients, a mixing tub for mixing the drinking water supplied from the water supplier and the beverage ingredients supplied from the ingredient containers, a discharge duct through which the mixed beverage is discharged, and a recycling duct for recycling a liquid leaked from the discharge duct into the water supplier, wherein the method includes the steps of generating functional water in the water supplier by facing electrodes provided to operate in water, discharging the functional water to the discharge duct through the mixing tub, recycling the discharged functional water into the water supplier through the recycling duct, and discharging the recycled functional water to the discharge duct through the mixing tub.
The washing method may further include the steps of sensing the concentration of the supplied functional water, and controlling the generation of the functional water in accordance with the concentration of the supplied functional water.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for supplying water to an automatic vending machine having a water supplier for supplying drinking water, a plurality of ingredient containers for storing beverage ingredients, a mixing tub for mixing the drinking water supplied from the water supplier and the beverage ingredients supplied from the ingredient containers, and a discharge duct through which the mixed beverage is discharged, wherein the method includes the steps of generating ozone water in the water supplier by facing electrodes provided to operate in water, mixing the ozone water and the beverage ingredients supplied from the ingredient containers, and discharging the mixed beverage through the discharge duct.
The feature of the present invention lies in that the functional water generator for generating functional water having various functions of sterilization, disinfection, deodorization or washing, is installed in the water supplier, that is, in the water tank or water supply duct of a cup-beverage automatic vending machine, to generate functional water in the water contained in the water tank or passing through the water supply duct, thereby performing sterilization, disinfection, deodorization and washing of water and beverages as well as containers and conduits installed in the machine. In the automatic vending machine according to the present invention, the functional water generator includes at least one pair of facing electrodes so that when a voltage is applied to the electrodes, the water contained in the water tank or passing through the water supply duct is electrolyzed to generate functional water. While the conventional automatic vending machine with an ozone gas generator operated in air requires an equipment for dissolving the generated ozone into the water stored in the water tank, in the automatic vending machine according to the present invention, sterilization, disinfection, deodorization or washing of both containers and ducts in the machine and drinking water can be simultaneously performed without such additional equipment or causing a safety problem due to undissolved ozone gas.